Even amid the sunny skies and beautiful beaches, Los Angeles faces a summer filled with a dreary climate and clouds of uncertainty.

The reasons all have to do with the Lakers. They are one season removed from their worst season in L.A. franchise history. They do not have a head coach. It appears it will be challenging for the Lakers to entice marquee players, such as LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, to accelerate their rebuilding once free agency begins at 9:01 p.m. PST on Monday. Although the Lakers report Kobe Bryant as fully healthy from a barrage of injuries that limited him last season to six games, the verdict remains out on whether he can successfully navigate a full 82-game season.

Yet, Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak has stayed cool through the rising temperatures, mindful that a franchise usually synonymous with NBA championships has encountered similar speedbumps. In what Kupchak described as a “similar kind of environment,” the Lakers went through a massive rebuilding project exactly a decade ago.

During that time, the Lakers traded Shaquille O’Neal to the Miami Heat for Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, Caron Butler and a first-round pick. They also parted ways with coach Phil Jackson. Notable contributors left through retirement (Karl Malone, Rick Fox) or free agency (Derek Fisher). In what Kupchak considered harder to experience than last season’s nightmare, the 2004-05 campaign featured coach Rudy Tomjanovich resigning midway through the season and late-season injuries to Bryant and Odom ensuring a missed playoff appearance.

Two first-round playoff exits to the Phoenix Suns ensued, but the Lakers’ misfortunes soon ended. On Feb. 1, 2008, the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies, a deal that spurred them to three consecutive NBA Finals appearances and back-to-back championships (2009, 2010).

“I would be happy if it took the same amount of time,” Kupchak said. “I think we can do better. But it may not turn out that good like it did then. OK? But I think as long as we show progress, improvement, good decisions, I think our fans and partners are on board.”

Bryant hardly appeared on board with the Lakers’ rebuilding a decade ago. He grew tired of losing to Phoenix, tired of leaning on teammates such as Kwame Brown and Smush Parker. and tired of Andrew Bynum’s slow development after the Lakers selected him 10th overall in the 2005 NBA Draft.

So in the 2007 offseason, Bryant continuously criticized the front office. In a video shot by a Lakers fan, Bryant questioned why the Lakers passed on trading Bynum in a deal for star guard Jason Kidd. Bryant even called the late Lakers owner Jerry Buss “an idiot.” Bryant then demanded a trade.

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“Kobe felt that’s what he needed to do, but as players we were still responsible to do our jobs,” recalled former Lakers forward Luke Walton, an analyst for Time Warner Cable SportsNet. “We did that with the thought we were going to have Kobe with us. As teammates, we obviously wanted him there.”

So did the Lakers, who balked at numerous trade offers involving Bryant. He has also credited the late Buss for both softening his frustration with the franchise and wanting to stay with the Lakers.

“I had to make a choice and decision in believing in him,” Bryant said about Buss last year shortly after his passing. “That wasn’t hard to do once I took a step back and looked at everything that he’s accomplished and had a chance to sit down with him. He talked to me about what his vision was and the vision for rebuilding this team quickly.”

In April, Kupchak described Bryant’s frustration level toward this past season as “fairly similar” to his trade demands seven years ago. After missing the first 19 games to rehab his left Achilles tendon, Bryant appeared in six games before suffering a season-ending left knee injury. Bryant devoted a large portion of his press conference in mid-March to criticizing the front office, ranging from the relationship between executives Jim and Jeanie Buss, to the status surrounding coach Mike D’Antoni and a rebuilding process going beyond next season.

“He’s not the most patient person in the world, and that’s never going to change,” Kupchak said. “Because of that, we’ve been to the Finals a bunch of times and we’ve won five championships because of the package that he brings to this franchise. So, it’s hard to criticize him.”

Bryant has since met with the Lakers’ front office and has offered more public support. But various accounts describe Bryant last season as so disgusted with the Lakers’ losing season that he mostly avoided interacting with any of his teammates.

“It’s the gift and the curse with him,” said Lakers guard Jordan Farmar, who downplayed Bryant often being away from the team. “That’s what makes him so great. He’s going to stay focused and locked in to drive this ship in the direction that it needs to go. Whoever is on the team will have to get on his page, basically.”

Who will wind up on the Lakers team remains a mystery.

Only Bryant, Steve Nash and Robert Sacre are signed through the 2014-15 season, though rookie Julius Randle will etch a deal soon. The Lakers will try to meet with James and Anthony once they become free agents tonight. Bryant’s two-year, $48.5 million extension ensures only that one of those stars could sign to a max-level deal. To further maximize cap space, the Lakers also will not extend a qualifying offer to reserve Kent Bazemore to make him a restricted free agent, according to a league source, The Lakers would like to re-sign Gasol, though that could hinge on whether he can attract an NBA contender.

“We were kind of starting over from scratch again. With the Shaq trade, though, the difference is we had more established,” Walton said. “They have a lot more to work to do this time around.”

Yet, Kupchak believes he can complete this work quickly, even fast enough to give Bryant a chance to win an NBA championship before his contract expires following the 2015-16 season.

“We both want to win as much and as soon as possible,” Kupchak said of Bryant. “But, once again, it takes an organization a long time to get in the position that we’re in where we have options financially going forward for the next year. two or three. We just have to make wise decisions using that space. If you don’t make a wise decision, then you can set yourself back six to seven years.”

As Kupchak saw during the Lakers’ last rebuilding project, that patience may become necessary to ignite another championship run.